Heirloom

My senior thesis, Heirloom, focuses on seeds as the storytellers of our past and the carriers of our cultural future. The commercialization of seeds today goes against their nature, reducing biodiversity and harming local food systems. Through seed saving and supporting ethical seed growers, my project aims to revive the tradition of preserving and nurturing seeds, while fostering a culture of gratitude and reciprocity toward those who keep our seeds alive.

For this, I created a community seed library where people can learn about the story of each seed and grower, then take a seed to continue the cycle of saving. I built the wooden library stand to display the seed varieties, seed farmer stories, and seed packets. To tie everything together, I designed posters that matched the visual identity of the stand.

This work was displayed at the SOMArts Gallery from May 18th, 2024, for a week, where the SF community, friends, and family could observe my project alongside the work of other designers from my graduating class.